Faint
by ThereseZ
Summary: Something's wrong with Sue, which has everyone worried, especially Jack.
1. Chapter 1

As one blond and one dark head were bent over their respective desks, furtive glances shot across the room. No smile graced Tara's lips. No dimples were seen in Bobby's face. Lucy's eyes had lost their spark. And while Myles rarely exhibited those signs, he too was obviously downcast. They were worried. Worried about Jack, but much more so about Sue. Even Levi wasn't his happy, tail-wagging self.

It was two months since Sue decided to stay in DC and she'd been happy, bordering on ecstatic. Her euphoria had lasted about a month until... Well, they weren't sure what was going on exactly. All they knew was that something was wrong with her. She had been sick a few times and she'd become increasingly tired; according to Lucy because she was up at all hours of the night. What worried them even more than these facts in themselves, was that Sue refused to talk about it. Anytime someone expressed concern for her health and general well-being, she would pretend nothing was wrong, close her eyes or walk away. It only fueled their worries. For a while they, and Lucy in particular, had entertained the possibility that Jack and Sue had a falling-out, but the two had been spending more time together rather than less. Had their relationship perhaps progressed beyond friendship? Nothing seemed to suggest it, even to the hopeful mind of their resident matchmaker.

That something was also wrong with Jack, was less evident to those who did not know him well. He looked healthy enough and the general female population of the Hoover building still though he was as good-looking as ever. But as Sue's exhaustion and bouts of sickness increased, his smiles waned. His charming, reassuring and encouraging winks became few and far between. No, to his teammates it was clear that Jack was more than a little concerned about his partner and friend. What worried the rest of the team, was that he too refused to talk to them. If he knew more about what was ailing Sue, he didn't let on. They stood powerlessly by as they watched him watch Sue, and day by day his features too showed more signs of fatigue. All they could do was hope that sooner or later one or both would take them into their confidence.


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's note: No worries about leaving you hanging. I'll be updating regularly, probably daily._

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It happened in a flash. As Sue rose from her desk, she closed her eyes and wavered. Before anyone else had a chance to react, Jack was beside her, neatly catching her in his arms as she fainted. By the time the others started towards them, he'd sat down in her chair, settling her on his lap. Surprisingly, he nuzzled her hair as he waited for her to come to.

"Jack, I think she should see a doctor," Lucy was the first to verbalize everyone else's thoughts.

"She's OK. Just give her a moment," Jack mumbled, as he held Sue close.

"She's not OK. It's not like Sue to faint," Tara pointed out.

"If you don't take her to the hospital, I will," Lucy argued.

Jack stood up immediately. With Sue cradled in his arms he headed towards the door, followed closely by Levi. When he reached the elevators Lucy was behind him, carrying his jacket, Sue's coat and handbag, as well as her own. From the determined set in her jaw he knew she intended to go with them, and there would be no talking her out of it. Admittedly he was going to need help, if only to push the elevator button and open his car door. By the time the elevator arrived, the rest of the team had joined them.

"Don't think for a moment that we're going to wait in the bullpen to find out if Thomas is OK," Myles stated bluntly.

Jack was about to argue the futility of all of them coming along, when Sue began to stir. She opened her eyes groggily, focusing on the man carrying her.

"Where are we going, Jack?" she mumbled.

"Hospital," he answered, unsure if she was even able to read his lips.

Lucy drew a cross on Sue's arm with her index and middle fingers, hoping her friend would recognize the sign. Apparently she did, because she nodded and closed her eyes as she rested her head against Jack's shoulder. As relieved as they all were that Sue had regained consciousness, the fact that she made no objections to going to the hospital only increased their worries. Either she was feeling too ill to protest or so ill she wished to go, but neither was hopeful.


	3. Chapter 3

The news that Jack Hudson was walking around with Sue Thomas in his arms, spread like wildfire, and they found themselves the center of attention as they trooped into the elevator with the team. The doors mercifully closed to hide them from the curious crowd ogling them from the hallway. While they descended towards the parking garage, Lucy took charge of the situation. Too concerned about the woman he was carrying to argue, Jack let her have her way.

"Myles, Jack and Sue will ride with you. Tara and I will follow with Bobby. I'll take Levi."

"I can get them there faster," Bobby said in a singsong voice.

"But we would like them to get there in one piece... Crash," Lucy replied pointedly.

The Aussie had a comeback at the ready but swallowed it when his eye fell on the pale sheila in the arms of his very-worried-looking best mate. Now was not the time to contradict Lucy; they had a hospital to get to and the sooner the better, for all of them. Putting thought into action, Bobby let the way to Myles' car and helped put Sue in the backseat. Jack slipped in beside her, pulling her against his side to keep her upright. Myles was in the driver's seat before the back door was closed and driving away as soon as it was.

"You sheilas had better get in before I drive off without you," Bobby bellowed, sprinting towards his own car.

Tara and Lucy ran after him with Levi, jumping in as he started the engine. They quickly buckled their seat belts as he sped after Myles.

"Please, hurry, Bobby," Tara pleaded.

"No worries, luv. I'll get us there in a jiffy," he assured her.

"In one piece, please," Lucy squealed as he shot out of the parking garage and into the busy DC traffic.

In response Bobby hit the gas, determined to make good on his promise to Tara. Anxiously, Lucy held on to Levi as well as she could.


	4. Chapter 4

Jack stubbornly refused to let anyone but himself carry Sue into the hospital. He held her in the waiting room, rubbing her back and ignoring everyone else, even Levi, who had his head on Jack's knee. Before too long he could carry her into an examination room where they waited for the doctor. When the kindly man arrived and asked what had happened, they all began to talk at once.

"One at a time, please," he said calmly, his eyes settling on the man standing beside his patient.

"She fainted a while ago, maybe an hour, and she was out for a minute or two. She been lethargic ever since," Jack explained, running his hand through his hair. "I thought she just stood up to fast, but..."

"It's not like Sue to faint," Lucy finished for him. "And she's been sick and tired for a few weeks now."

"I see." The doctor looked at his pale patient with concern. "If there is nothing else I need to know, I must ask you to return to the waiting room while I examine her."

"She deaf," Jack answered promptly. "She can read lips. That is to say, usually she can, but I'm not sure how well she'll be able to right now."

For a moment the doctor thought that the dark-haired man was going to add something else, but he only glanced at the other people in the room. Nodding in understanding, he motioned for the group to leave. Lucy had a hard time getting Levi to leave Sue's side, but Jack was the last one out, taking his time to assure the groggy patient, both spoken and in sign, that he would be back. Sue gave him a small smile, closing her eyes as soon as he was out of sight.

The team reluctantly returned to the waiting room, where Jack proceeded to pace back and forth with Levi always one step behind him. They all told him to sit down and rest, but he wouldn't listen. Finally Lucy could no longer contain her own anxiety and planted herself if front of the stubborn man.

"Jack, what's going on?"

"It's been an hour!" he evaded her question. "What is taking so long?"

Lucy shrugged warily and sank back down in her seat. So much for getting answers, she thought, as man and dog continued to pace.


	5. Chapter 5

When the nurse entered the waiting room, she had no trouble spotting the people she was looking for. The doctor's description, of the dog and the shortest man in particular, had been very accurate.

"You are here for Miss Thomas?" she asked, just to be certain.

The man halted his pacing, while the others jumped to their feet, watching her expectantly.

"If you follow me, Dr. Isaacs will give you an update."

They walked after her and immediately noticed that they were not heading back to the examination room. The nurse stopped in front of another room just as the doctor came through the door. Behind the window they could see Sue, lying in a hospital bed.

"Ah, thank you, Ellen," Dr. Isaacs greeted the nurse.

He looked at the concerned faces of all the people in front of him, his eyes finally resting on the man who looked the most worried.

"Miss Thomas is slightly dehydrated, which we are treating with IV fluids. This, combined with exhaustion, is the reason she fainted. I think she has been pushing herself to hard. She will need to rest more to prevent recurrence."

"It's my fault. I should have made her go home to sleep this week," Jack chastised himself.

"Ah, Sparky, you can't go blaming yourself, mate. You know what Sue is like when we're working a case."

"Bobby is right," Tara nodded. "You tried."

"I should have tried harder," he shot back.

Dr. Isaacs was somewhat taken aback by the man's anger, until he remembered his peculiar behavior before the examination.

"I take it you're aware of her condition," he questioned.

"What condition?" Lucy gasped, as the others shook their heads.

Only the man at whom the question had been directed nodded, his eyes now fixed on the sleeping woman behind the glass.

"You would be Jack?" the doctor asked, receiving another nod in return. "She's been asking for you. You can go in now, but try not to wake her."

The words were hardly out of his mouth before Jack reached for the door.

"What condition?" Lucy demanded again.

"It's not for me to tell you," Dr. Isaacs replied. "Ellen will let you know when you can go in too."

Quickly he excused himself and left to attend to his other patients.


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's note: All your jumping to conclusions is highly entertaining. :) Oh, and did I not mention that this story is all snippets? Whoops, guess I forgot. Sorry about that! :p_

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Before anyone could stop him, Levi slipped into the room with Jack, jumped on the bed and curled up at Sue's feet. Watching through the window, they could see Jack as he approached their sleeping friend much more cautiously. He ever so carefully smoothed her hair off her forehead. His hand trailed down her cheek, her shoulder and her left arm to her hand and the IV, before brushing across her abdomen as he reached for her right hand. He pulled a chair to the side of the bed without letting go of Sue's hand and sat down to wait. Lucy sobbed when Jack lifted her friend's hand and kissed it.

"What's wrong, Luce?" Myles asked, tearing his eyes from the tender scene before him.

"It's just that... It took Sue fainting and lying in a hospital bed for Jack to show his feelings."

"Yeah, well, when she opens her eyes the stupid drongo is probably gonna hide them again," Bobby groaned.

"No, he's not!" Tara cheered. "Look, she's awake!"

They could see Sue blink a few times before her eyes settled on Jack, who was still holding her hand in his own. She said something that caused Jack to take a deep breath, though the team wasn't sure whether it was in relief or exactly the opposite. Sue extracted her right hand from Jack's to caress his face, reaching for his released hand with her left at the same time. His hand met her's half way, while he stroked her hair. They seemed to be having a very earnest conversation, but their voices didn't carry into the hallway.

"I wish I knew what they were saying," Tara sighed, just as Sue circled a fist over her chest.

"She's apologizing," Lucy said in surprise. "Why is she apologizing?"

"Only one way to find out," Bobby replied as he reached for the door.

Before he could get his hand on the doorknob, Ellen appeared out of nowhere and slapped it away.

"Where do you think you're going?" the nurse stated emphatically.

"I... Well, I..."

"Did I tell you you could go in?" she questioned.

"No, ma'am," Bobby replied meekly, suddenly feeling like a little boy again.

As Nurse Ellen didn't stray far from them from that moment on, they had no choice but to wait for her permission.


	7. Chapter 7

Sue looked at them through the window and smiled. It made them feel a little better, though they were still worried about her mysterious condition. Jack too glimpsed at them before regaining her attention with a squeeze of his hand. They continued to talk while Sue occasionally glanced at her friends behind the glass. Eventually her eyes began to droop and she fell back asleep.

Half an hour passed in which Nurse Ellen was relentless. No matter how much they pleaded they were not allowed to enter the room. And all the while Jack sat by Sue's bedside, holding her left hand across her abdomen and her right hand against his cheek. Finally, after checking with him first, Ellen let them go inside.

"Be sure to let her rest now, you hear?" she reminded them.

They all promised, but as soon as the motherly woman was out of earshot, Lucy rounded on Jack.

"What is going on?" she demanded. "What is wrong with Sue? What is her condition?"

Had the others been any less determined to find out the truth, they might have told her to ease off a bit. As it was, however, they were all bursting with the same questions. Jack lowered his eyes, settling them on Sue's left hand joined with his right. After taking a deep breath he finally gave them a soft but steady answer.

"Sue is pregnant."

Tara and Lucy gasped. Bobby's eyes grew wide as he watched his mate's bowed head.

"By you?" Myles asked deadly calm.

Jack nodded his head in silent response, never taking his eyes of Sue's IV.

"What did you do?" Lucy exclaimed angrily.

"Wait a minute, Luce. You cannot seriously believe that Jack could or would force Sue to do anything," Bobby defended his friend; the very thought was an insult to Jack's integrity and Sue's character.

"No, of course not. I just... How did this happen?" she sighed.

"Do you really need me to talk to you about the birds and the bees?" Jack replied, finally looking her straight in the eye.

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_Author's note: You're right, fanka77. They were all totally blind, blind to the change in Jack and Sue. But so people often are when it comes to those they are close to and see every day. People do not always realize the meaning of what they see, simply because that meaning is beyond anything they expect or suppose to be possible. Many of you picked up on the clues and realized their meaning, but that's just because in pretty much every STFBE fanfic you expect Jack and Sue to get together, you want them to have a baby. Look at the facts objectively though and you'll see that Sue's condition could have been something completely different, something life-threatening even, causing Jack to be so very worried. (End-of-rant, but not end-of-story. :p )  
_


	8. Chapter 8

"So what happened, Jack?" Myles took up Lucy's question. "One night you and Sue got drunk, lost your inhibitions, and now here we are?"

"I suppose that's one way to put it," a soft voice spoke from the bed.

"You got **drunk?**" Lucy asked wide-eyed, signing the last word for emphasis.

"Yes, drunk on love," Sue smiled.

Her eyes shifted to Jack, who kissed her palm tenderly.

"Jack can be very intoxicating, believe me," she admitted with flushed cheeks.

"You're one to talk. Any kiss from you goes straight to my head," Jack grinned.

The air seemed to crackle as sparks flew between them.

"Wow," Tara whispered, glancing at Bobby who looked dumbstruck.

"Yeah," Lucy sighed.

The moment was almost ruined by Myles.

"I still don't get how this happened," he frowned.

"Myles," Jack sighed without taking his eyes of Sue's, "imagine keeping a lid on your feelings for three years."

"Then the person you love more than life itself, tells you they love you too," she added softly.

"All those feelings start pouring out, and it becomes very difficult to not act on them."

As if to prove his point Jack leaned forward to capture Sue's lips in an affectionate kiss. Lucy gave them a moment's respite before she couldn't contain herself any longer.

"I can't believe we didn't notice. Actually, I thought something was going on when Sue was so happy, but then she got sick."

"Morning sickness," Jack explained, reluctantly pulling away from the love of his life.

"More like any-hour-of-the-day sickness," Sue smiled wryly, turning her head to face her friend.

"And you had to go through that all by yourself," Lucy said sadly.

"Not by myself," Sue corrected immediately. "I had Jack. I'm afraid I kept him up plenty of nights texting or chatting."

She looked up at Jack as he stroked her hair, shaking his head at her with a sad smile on his face.

"Don't you start feeling guilty about that again," he admonished. "It made you feel better, and that made me feel better. It was the least I could do, besides taking you home for a few hours or days so you didn't have to pretend not to be sick for a while."

"That's so sweet, Ja..." Lucy began. "Wait. Days?"


	9. Chapter 9

"You've been so busy that it was easy to sneak away," Sue admitted. "That weekend you spend with your mother last week, Jack picked me up less than five minutes after you left and I only got back about half an hour before you did."

Lucy went over the past two months in her head. How many of those times she'd spent the day, evening or night away from Sue, had Sue spent with Jack? While her friend was occupied, Sue seized the opportunity to change the subject.

"Jack, did they say how long I have to stay?" she asked a little worried.

"Why don't we ask Dr. Isaacs when he comes back?" he answered.

"And when he says I can leave?" she prompted.

"Then I'll take you home, sweetheart." Jack smiled as Levi whined. "Yeah, you too, buddy."

Home. Somehow everyone in the room knew, he wasn't talking about her place with Lucy, who's face fell at the thought of losing her roommate. It bothered her more than she would have thought. After all, she'd been trying to get the two of them together for as long as they had known each other. It was just that somehow it all felt wrong now. Something'd been nagging her from the moment Jack told them that Sue was pregnant, and as much as it might hurt her friend, she had to talk about it. With a serious face she tapped Sue's arm for attention.

**I thought you were saving yourself for your future husband,** she signed rapidly, hoping it would be too fast for everyone else and thereby lessen the embarrassment she was certain would follow.

"I did," Sue replied, her voice soft but steady.

"Did what?" Bobby and Myles asked at the same time.

"Save herself for her future husband," Jack answered calmly.

Silence reigned in the room as the team tried to work out the implications of that statement.

"Are you saying you got married?" Tara finally questioned.

Jack and Sue both shook their heads. No, there was no way they could have gotten married without the FBI finding out.

"Are you saying that you will?" Lucy glared at Jack, her voice dangerously low.

"Yeah. Just... not yet."

"Jack, you and Sue are having a baby! Pardon my French, but what the bloody hell are you waiting for?" Myles exclaimed.

"This!" a new voice replied loudly.


	10. Chapter 10

"They are waiting for this."

They all turned to see Dimitrius Gans, their supervisor of six weeks, standing in the doorway. He was grinning broadly and holding up a piece of paper.

"Sorry I'm late," he said. "Gossip on recent events took a while to reach me. I was in a very, very important meeting with the director."

As he spoke Jack had finally let go of Sue's hand, jumping from the chair and snatching the paper out of D's hands. The supervisor quickly took the vacated seat.

"How are you doing, Sue?" he asked, taking her hand.

"I'm OK. Tired, but OK," she replied softly. "I should have listened to you though."

"I did put you on desk duty for a reason," D smiled. "Don't worry. I promise, it'll get better after the first trimester."

"You knew?" Lucy was the first to ask, though it was on Tara's, Bobby's and Myles' lips as well.

Dimitrius looked at Sue questioningly. When she nodded, he leaned back to survey his team.

"I gave Jack and Sue permission to date two months ago, provided they did so discreetly so we wouldn't get in trouble with the higherups. In the mean time I was looking into ways to keep them both on the team. Obviously things got a little out of hand."

"That's an understatement," Bobby mumbled.

"OK, things got more than a little out of hand," D conceded. "They told me about the baby almost as soon as they found out. Jack wanted to transfer immediately so they could get married, but I asked them to wait, to keep it secret for a while. I realized that it was a lot to ask of them, but I didn't want to break up the team unless I absolutely had to. You see, I was making some headway with the director regarding the no-fraternization policy. Unfortunately it took another three weeks to get him to see things my way."

Sue had been watching him talk, although she obviously knew everything he told the others. Everything, except that last bit. Eyes shining, she focused on the man at the foot of her bed. Jack raised his eyes from the piece of paper with the biggest smile they'd ever seen.

"As soon as you're back on your feet, we're getting married," he grinned, "and then I'm taking you and Baby, and Knucklehead over here, home."


	11. Epilogue

"Did you hear? Sue Thomas is pregnant," the short, plump woman whispered.

"Cam, would it kill you to call her Sue Hudson?" her red-headed friend sighed. "Honestly, they've been married for two months now."

"Well, I say she trapped him," a third woman sneered. "Have you seen her? There's no way she's less than three months along."

"Maybe she's having twins," the redhead suggest.

"Oh, don't be naive, Ginny," Cam chided. "I think May's right, the only reason that poor man married Thomas is out of guilt after she seduced him and got herself knocked up."

Ginny looked completely scandalized and then shocked as she saw the angry face of Lucy Dotson appear behind her friends.

"You really have no clue what you're talking about!" the rotor spat at the two women.

"Calm down, Luce," Tara soothed. "They're just jealous because Sue took the most eligible bachelor of the building off the market."

"Everyone knows that Jack and Sue have been in love for three years," Myles added amiably.

"And if you don't believe that they still are, ladies, then I suggest you use your eyes," Bobby grinned.

He looked past them at the two subjects of the gossip as they came stumbling out of the elevator, lips locked and arms wrapped around each other in a passionate embrace. Levi followed behind them and rushed towards the familiar people with his tail wagging.

"Jack, I feel it is my duty to inform you that you have an audience," Myles said pointedly.

"Tell 'em... to go... away," Jack replied between kissing his wife.

"No can do, mate. You're in the middle of the hallway."

There was no indication Jack even heard his best friend's comment. With a sigh Bobby opened the door to the nearby conference room. After assuring himself that it was vacant, he grabbed Jack by the shoulders and pulled him backwards. Sue followed wherever Jack's lips went, past Ginny and her busybody friends, until Bobby closed the door behind them with a satisfied smile.

"Are you sure that was such a good idea, Koala Boy?" Myles questioned.

"No worries, mate. They'll find their way to the bullpen," the Aussie replied just as the door was locked from the inside. "Eventually..."

The two agents strolled away, with Levi hot on their trail; one of them was bound to give him some undivided and very necessary attention. Their two female team members stayed behind with the other three women only long enough to glare at the two gossips and show their appreciation to the much more rational red-head.

"You know, Ginny," Lucy smiled, "if you would like some better company, feel free to drop by our office around noon."

"Yeah," Tara said cheerfully. "We can tell you all the accurate versions of the scuttlebutt over lunch. Our treat."

Cam and May gaped after them as they walked away.

"Hey Tara, with Jack of the market, does that mean Bobby's the most eligible bachelor of the building?"

"Nope. He's not eligible and he won't be a bachelor for long."

"Details, girlfriend! I want details."

Before they were even out of earshot, Cam and May stuck their heads together, twisting everything they just saw and heard into scandalous slander. Ginny rolled her eyes as she turned away from them; noon suddenly couldn't come soon enough.

~ The End ~

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_Author's note: A big thank you to all who read and reviewed my story! I had a great time writing it and reading your reponses. :)_


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